


Sunrise

by TrulyCertain



Category: Deus Ex (Video Games), Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Genre: Character Study, Gen, No Plot/Plotless, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 16:24:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16066898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrulyCertain/pseuds/TrulyCertain
Summary: Sometimes, when he can’t sleep and the sun’s still rising, or just after, Adam doesn’t settle for looking out the window. He climbs through it.





	Sunrise

Sometimes, when he can’t sleep and the sun’s still rising, or just after, Adam doesn’t settle for looking out the window. He climbs through it.

He’s heard them talk about “the weirdo on the roof. Must be MEP. The American.” His Czech’s not great, but he’s got enough. His neighbours have been pretty quiet about it - this isn’t the kind of place where you get into anyone’s business unless you have to - but he’s got good ears. Sarif always said it was a side-effect of the infolink. Just a few enhancements. They’re more sensitive, pick up a bigger range of vibrations. Easier for subvocalisation. It means that he can hear the insults better.

But it also means that up here, alone, he can hear the city breathe. He takes a drag of his cigarette, and listens.

Today the sun’s still rising, and there’s that cold stillness that says it’s early. The only people up right now are the neuropyzene dealers and the government agents. He nearly snorts at that. Office’ll probably just be opening, but he doesn’t have to be in for a while. He pulls a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket, takes one and lights up. Stupid - the nicotine barely stays in his system - but it lets him think. He’d say it made his hands steadier, if he didn’t have mods for that. Used to drive Megan crazy. Maybe there are upsides to being alone.

He sighs, and watches the neighbourhood for a while, feeling a little like some steel-myomer gargoyle. These days, now he’s been here for a while, he only keeps half an eye on his six. It’s not a flat roof up here; no-one else is likely to come by. He hasn’t seen anyone else around with an Icarus, far as he can tell.

There are sirens somewhere nearby, and in the alley below, a mother’s yelling at her son. Something about him coming in too late last night. Could be home, except the words are different. Then he sees the bots patrolling the corners, too close to apartments and houses, and the police camped out making sure the clanks don’t cause trouble. The “augs” and “naturals” signs.

Human-controlled evolution. Yeah, that worked out great.

There’s a TYM billboard they just installed a couple blocks away. He watches smiling families with cheap ripoff augs walk in endless sunny fields. Then he exhales smoke and looks closer to home.

Someone’s already out walking their dog. They nod and smile to the cops at the checkpoint, and they keep walking until he can breathe again. He’s already looked twice. Not even the marks of neural augs. They’ll be fine.

He recognises one of his neighbours heading out of their apartment complex. She never told him her name, but she runs a makeshift store out of her apartment on the first floor, and they’ve talked in corridors; she wanted to try out her English, he guesses. She pauses, and then… looks up. Probably to see if the rumours are true. She has eye augs, he noticed that the first time they met. Almost as good as his. She’ll know.

He almost thinks better of it, but he lifts his hand and waves, just slightly.

She blinks, startled, and then waves back. Then she hurries on, like she’s just done something she shouldn’t.

He takes a deep drag and shifts his gaze past the loud cluster of neon signs for tech stores and the old architecture, out to the horizon. The sunrises here are different from back home. Just a little less pollution, maybe. Or maybe he’s just sentimental.

He never expected to end up here, but… view could be worse.

He has reports to file and Macready’s probably going to try and make his life hell, his desk’s a trash-heap, and Alex is still asking him for more intel - but just for a while, he lets himself breathe, and listens to the city wake up around him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Cyberpunk."


End file.
